1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-forming apparatus such as facsimile machine, copier, or laser printer which, based on input information, forms a visible image on the surface of a flexible recording medium such as paper.
2. Related Background Art
As such an image-forming apparatus, there has conventionally been known an electronic copier using Carlson method such as that shown in FIG. 5. In this electronic copier, input information is copied as will be explained in the following.
Namely, first, at a corona charger portion 1, corona discharge is used to electrically charge a semiconductor layer called "photosensitive body" in a dark place. Then, at an exposure portion 2, an original to be copied (input information) is irradiated with light so as to form an electrostatic latent image, which has the same pattern as that of the original, on the photosensitive body. Subsequently, at a developing portion 3 a coloring fine particle called "toner", which is charged to a polarity opposite to that of the electrostatic latent image, is sprinkled on the photosensitive body. This toner is constituted by resin powder whose particle size is about a few .mu.m to 50 .mu.m. Carbon black or the like is added to the surface or the whole of the powder, and magnetic powder whose particle size is about 0.1 .mu.m to 0.5 .mu.m is dispersed in the resin. Then, at a transfer portion 4, the copied image on the photosensitive body formed by the toner is copied on white paper by means of electrostatic force. Subsequently, at a fixing portion 5, the toner is melted with heat so as to be impregnated between fibers of the paper and fixed onto the latter. Thereafter, at a cleaning portion 6, the photosensitive body is destaticized and the remaining toner is cleaned, whereby the photosensitive body presumes its initial state. In this manner, the photosensitive body is repeatedly used. Such a series of processing is completed within a few seconds.